Spotlight on: Li Yuan-chia

About

Few artists fit that description better than Li Yuan-chia (1924-1994), one of China's earliest pioneers of abstract and conceptual art.

To pursue his artistic vision Li had to leave China: emerging under the influences of western artists in both Italy and England, he developed a unique style combining traditional Chinese calligraphy with abstraction.

A founding member of the illustrious Ton-Fan group, and known as one of the "8 Great Outlaws", Li rebelled against the traditional art methods and practices of Taiwan and China and became actively engaged in the International art world.

Li's focus on the spirit of Chinese culture and philosophy, combined with an experimental aesthetic has resulted in a distinctive oeuvre, spanning painting, photography, sculpture and participatory kinetic installations.

'The fact that Li Yuan-chia has been missed by the art establishment of so many countries suggests that they have no instruments fine enough to detect a journey such as his. He simply slips past stereotypical cultural assumptions and ideological agendas…'  

(Guy Brett)